1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to visual signaling and, more particularly, to visually signaling discernible information to persons more reliant on visual indications, such as hearing-impaired persons.
2. State of the Art
The use of indicators for identifying the activation of a device is commonplace. One predominant form of indicators utilizes an audible or sound-based mechanism for providing notification to a user. However, some persons may have impaired hearing capabilities and may even be completely deaf to audible indicators. Accordingly, such individuals are at a distinct disadvantage to detect and respond to such audible indicating devices.
One such device that has traditionally relied upon an audible indicator is a telephone or similar telecommunications device. Such devices have conventionally utilized a bell or other ringing device for notification to a user of an incoming call. For hearing-impaired users, or in environments that are not conducive to audible indicator detection, visual indicators have been developed. One known visual indication approach utilized by hearing-impaired users for identifying an incoming telephone call is illustrated with reference to FIG. 1. This prior approach connects a telephone 100 through a coupling circuit 102 to a room lamp 104 or other light source. The coupling circuit 102, upon detection of a telephone “ring” signal on the network 106, causes, for example, a room light or lamp 104 to flash repeatedly when a ringing voltage or other signal designates an incoming call.
In such applications and to the hearing-impaired community, telephone-coupling circuits and single light source visual indicator have come to be known as “flashers.” Flashers or visual indicators may be implemented as a single light source located on or near the telephone or may be coupled to a more generally present light source such as a light bulb or lamp in a room inhabited by a hearing-impaired user. While such visual indicators provide notification to a user thereof, such visual indicators are informationally “one dimensional” in that they provide only a notification of the occurrence of an event (i.e., the ringing of an incoming call).
While visual indicators exist that provide a visual indication of the origin of, for example, an incoming call, such visual notifications are generally not adequately able to alert and may readily go unnoticed. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional telephone 120 configured with a caller identification display 122 that provides a visual notification of an incoming call and even provides information correlated to the calling party. However, the caller identification display 122 is configured to provide correlated information of the calling party but is not adequately visually alerting to draw attention to the telephone device. Therefore, there is a need to provide an adequately visually alerting mechanism further configured to provide more information to a hearing-impaired user through a visual indicator.